By Faten Omar
KUWAIT: Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS) yesterday held a press conference to announce the launch of the Robotics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Festival on Sunday. The festival is a first-of-its-kind that aims to educate, engage and inspire people in Kuwait. Director General of KFAS Dr Adnan Shihabeddeen said the festival will be under the patronage of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and in the presence of Education Minister Saud Al-Harbi.
He said that due to developments in scientific discoveries and inventions in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, many universities have begun to prepare for new majors to cover the labor market need for these advanced skills. "In a few years, many university majors will become useless in light of upcoming global developments such as robotics science, smart machines, Internet of Things, alternative and renewable energy, etc," he added.
Shihabeddeen affirmed that the festival serves KFAS' strategic goals, which are to spread cultural awareness and support the creation of an environment of science and knowledge "Therefore, one of the foundation's strategic goals is to keep pace with the accelerating global technology trend here." He said the foundation has an important and effective role to contribute to changing the prevailing view of the classical education process.
Therefore, its role is based on two main pillars - firstly, to spread scientific awareness of one of the most important components of recent rapid developments, which are robotics and artificial intelligence and enabling society, especially the younger generation, to contribute to involve in the required technological infrastructure.
"Secondly, to show the importance of introducing new specializations to the educational curricula in Kuwait, whether at schools or universities. Consequently, developing advanced curricula based on STEM - science, technology, engineering and mathematics - and urging decision-makers in Kuwait to adopt modern studies that offer technological specializations," Shihabeddeen noted.
KFAS Scientific Culture Director Dr Salam Al-Ablani said the festival will feature high-tech, world-class interactive experiences, live shows, short films and hands-on sessions to spark interest and inspire active engagement from a wide spectrum of audiences - a highly interactive adventure taking people of all ages on a journey from smart machines in the past to the current hi-tech world of robotics.
Meanwhile, Manal Al-Rashed, Director of Motivating Science and Technology Program, explained that the festival will have four zones. The first zone will be on early automation in the Muslim civilization. The second will have interactive experiences showcasing the latest AI and robotics technology. The third zone will hold workshops and competitions. The last zone will be on outdoor experiences and exhibits.
She added that the ministry of education has fully booked the day period for its students for educational field trips. "Students will be visiting and participating in the festival during the morning period, while the evening period will be available for parents and other audiences."
The festival is held with the cooperation of "1001 Inventions", a British based organization that creates international educational campaigns and engaging transmedia productions aiming to raise awareness of the contributions to science, technology and culture from the Golden Age of Islamic Civilization. The festival will be open to the public from Feb 9 to 14 at Salwa Hall in Salmiya. Entry is free of charge. To register, visit the website kfasfestivals.com.